


we were supposed to grow old together

by Anonymous



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Murder, Pickpocketing, TedTalk, Unhappy Ending, Use of Real Names, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:34:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26313505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Everything starts to go a bit downhillOr, YouTube isn't a stable source of income anymore so Clay and George part ways. It was only meant to be temporary though.
Relationships: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 81
Collections: Anonymous





	we were supposed to grow old together

**Author's Note:**

> check the end a detailed explanation of what happened, this fic is a bit confusing  
> was inspired by the first chapter of the fic I linked  
> I kinda just wordsmashed and just let the story write itself, so I changed the plot multiple times while writing this

_  
“2020. As the fireworks exploded in the sky, reflected onto the shimmering surface of the water, two people looked into each other’s eyes._

_Both held love in them, meeting for a kiss like nothing in the world mattered at that moment._

_They pulled apart, oblivious to all the worries of the world at that moment, enjoying a newly created memory._

_It happened so suddenly, a welcome surprise. Both knew, with the amount of work they had put in to their online careers, growth was inevitable. As their subscriber counts ticked upwards, and time went on, their channels metaphorically exploded._

_It made them slightly anxious, prompting them to keep the private away from the public aspects of their relationship. Money was now easier to earn, however neither of them quit their side jobs._

_2021\. Growth was starting to slow now, not enough to scare either of them, but enough to cause a noticeable dip in that line chart. It wasn’t just growth, after the success of their manhunt series, and with a close friend graduating from college and wanting to pursue another career, manhunt was over. A year of pumping out content took a toll on them both, online and in real life. The list of video ideas grew shorter, until it was just *What are we going to do for our next video?*_

_The SMP grew smaller, as Minecraft shrunk in popularity. It was always going to happen, PewDiePie only delaying its fall from grace, giving rise to all his content creator friends, which all except them, were considering other careers._

_2022\. The extra money that was called YouTube was almost completely gone now, and the costs started outweighing the revenue. One of them was fine, they went to University in their home country, the other didn’t but still had reasonable skill certificates._

_2023\. Financial pressure had gotten to them, no longer could streams give them hundreds of dollars, no longer could YouTube be relied on as an income source. Someone had left to go back home, with the intent that “my degree is worthless in America” to try for a IT developer position._

_The other was supposed to receive a call after the flight.  
When their partner didn’t call them like they said they would, going against their word for the first time in years._

_When they tried to call?_

_‘This number is not currently in use.’”  
_

“That-“ an unfamiliar blonde started, walking around the stage. “Is a true story.”

“It’s a unfinished one, tangling and intersecting with so many others.”

“In fact, the story is mine. You might even recognize my voice as Dream, the old Minecraft speedrunner. The person I was dating was called George. GeorgeNotFound. I have no idea whether he’s still alive.” 

“I have no idea what happened to him after that plane flight, three years ago. Perhaps he’s still out there, maybe even watching this now. If, in that case, email me,” the person spoke, smiling but with a bit of pain mixed in.

“The moral of the story? Me and George, we loved each other so much, for so long, since 2018 actually. Even before YouTube. If we had asked each other out before, we would have so much more time.”

“I’m not directing this at the adults here, but at the children. Time is short, believe me you want to seize every chance you get, because regret is the worst emotion you’ll ever feel. Knowing if you just did that, the entire story could’ve been different. One action could’ve changed the entire tale.”

Another voice rang out as the lights dimmed on stage. “Clay Bryce, TEDTalks.”

~~~

A email notification popped up on Clay’s screen. It automatically opened, casting a glow on the dim room.

_  
Dear Clay Bryce,  
My name is Susan Davidson, I am George’s mother. I saw your TEDTalk and I am writing to you to let you know that George has unfortunately passed. I never learnt that you were dating George, so I never thought to contact you, but George spoke highly of you during your years of living together, however, when he came to Brighton again, he was pickpocketed of his phone and later murdered. The murderer has been convicted and is currently serving a life sentence for first degree homicide. I will not be giving you any more details on his death, as it is still fresh in my mind.  
Wishing you all the best  
Susan Davidson.  
_

**Author's Note:**

> basically the italics is the ted talk, dream is saying this stuff, "they" refers to dream and george. when george got his phone pickpocketed the sim basically got smashed and then the number isn't valid anymore.
> 
> my original idea was to have george alive and they reconcile but I asked some friends and they wanted the sad ending so yay  
> in my mind, clay commits suicide after the email, just for some more angst, but that isn't explicitly stated here.
> 
> I just found the dictionary of obscure sorrows and I think the definition of "sonder" just set off a existential crisis.


End file.
